Paul Murphy
Question:9. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on recent communication he has had, written or otherwise, with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. [20702/16]
View answerWednesday, 20 July 2016
Questions (9)
Written answers
I attended the European Council meeting in Brussels on 28 June, and the informal meeting of 27 Heads of State and Government on 29 June. While I did not have any formal bilateral meetings with other European leaders on either day, I did have short exchanges with a number of them, including President Juncker. I reported to the House on 5 July in relation to the European Council and answered questions on 13 July in relation to my bilateral discussions.
Insofar as written communication is concerned, I wrote to President Juncker on 26 May, copying to President Tusk and European Council members, highlighting the need for consistency, transparency and predictability in EUROSTAT accounting treatment of PPP investments.
I should make clear that there was no question of Ireland seeking to break the EU fiscal rules. Rather, uncertainty in relation to EUROSTAT classification decisions had become a source of concern in Ireland and other Member States in terms of the implications for orderly planning of public investments consistent with the fiscal rules. Minister Noonan also raised this issue at ECOFIN on 17 June in the context of its discussion of the EU Investment Plan.
In his reply of 27 June, President Juncker acknowledged a large and unprecedented interest in the matters I raised with him and agreed that the Commission needs to go further in terms of available guidance. EUROSTAT will therefore publish in September, together with the European Investment Bank (EIB), a joint document to provide the further necessary clarifications.
Work is also underway to strengthen joint Commission-EIB advisory capacity and to deepen cooperation with Member States through the European PPP Expertise Centre (EPEC) of the EIB. Ireland is of course fully engaged with these networks through the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, and I understand that discussions are proceeding constructively and satisfactorily.
President Juncker also indicated in his reply that Commissioner Thyssen, who is responsible for EUROSTAT, is fully aware of the importance of this matter and suggested a meeting with her team to ensure that Ireland's concerns are fully understood in the context of the further EUROSTAT-EIB guidance that is being prepared. This offer is being pursued and the Government will continue to engage actively with the relevant EU institutions to ensure fully transparent and certain application of the rules.
My Department has provided copies of both letters to the Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach.
I also wrote to President Juncker on 9 June thanking him for his letter of congratulations on my re-election as Taoiseach; and on 10 June indicating that I would be unable to attend the European Development Days forum on 15-16 June but that Ireland would be represented by senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which manages our development aid programme.